Patients have been promised 'world -class facilities' once the Â£256m rebuild of Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham is complete.

Specially-commissioned artwork, marble-effect tiling at the grand glass entrance, terracotta exterior cladding imported from Germany, more en-suite bathrooms and an 'under-the-sea' design theme are just a handful of the luxuries at the site.

A new rehabilitation building complete with hydrotherapy pool, helipad, pathology and mortuary building as well as a Â£3m state-of-the art cancer lab funded by the hospital's Rocky Appeal are already up and running.

But by June 15 all 3,500 rooms at the hospital are set to be complete.

Glen Hewlett, director of development and estates at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'I think Carillion may be working up until 11.59pm the night before, but we will complete the hospital on time and on budget.

'This will be the most modern hospital in Europe. Patients deserve world-class care and world-class facilities. We aim to deliver both.'

All wards are also being coated with antibacterial paint to minimise infection.

Even the specially designed curtains contain an anti-microbial agent that keeps disease-causing bacteria at bay.

Peter Mellor, company secretary, said: 'We can't just throw money at this project, but we're trying to make the new hospital as much like a five star hotel as possible.

'This is a one-off in that we will never see another hospital build like this in Portsmouth in our lifetimes, so we need to do the best job we can.

'A lot of local people will spend a lot of time here â either as patients, visitors or staff â so we want them to enjoy their surroundings and we want to provide the best.' ... unquote

The full article contains 325 words and appears in The News newspaper.

My Bold...... This government still does not get it...... The millions spent on fripperies could have gone towards the charity funded cancer equipment used there.

Peter Mellor, company secretary, said: 'We can't just throw money at this project, but we're trying to make the new hospital as much like a five star hotel as possible.

Click to expand...

Yes make it look nice, but no hospital should be a 5star but then not a zero star crap hole either. How do grand glass entrance make people heal better? Theres a quote on here about if the NHS was to make people happy it would give me a 12" nob and a million quid, rings very true here.

Patients have been promised 'world -class facilities' once the Â£256m rebuild of Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham is complete.

Specially-commissioned artwork, marble-effect tiling at the grand glass entrance, terracotta exterior cladding imported from Germany, more en-suite bathrooms and an 'under-the-sea' design theme are just a handful of the luxuries at the site.

My Bold...... This government still does not get it...... The millions spent on fripperies could have gone towards the charity funded cancer equipment used there.

Oh so thats ok then PFI Sourced - Gordon has shelved that payment until 2030, but who has paid for the art work, cos at the rate this government is going we will have to use it on a hotel basis too, just needs a reception desk and we can pay on the way out. They can have the daily rates for hip operations and other things listed on a board behind reception. Pity really cos until 1997 the NHS was working ok, not a massive bureaucracy working out how to spend future generations money on Hotel style hospitals with artwork in the foyer.

Wonder if they will accept visa and mastercard to pay for your treatment. Gordon probably knows!

Specially-commissioned artwork, marble-effect tiling at the grand glass entrance, terracotta exterior cladding imported from Germany, more en-suite bathrooms and an 'under-the-sea' design theme are just a handful of the luxuries at the site.

My Bold...... This government still does not get it...... The millions spent on fripperies could have gone towards the charity funded cancer equipment used there.

Click to expand...

It's not the government spending it. It's an NHS trust.

Click to expand...

This is typical of the way the Government can retain control but divorce themselves from responsibility.

"Its not us, it's the Trust"

Teflon shoulders are shrug and the story goes away. Its endemic across all public services with quangos, limited partnerships, publically funded charities and other bodies merrily p1ssing public funds up the wall but crucially not directly controlled from the centre

why shouldn't artists be paid for their work? Why shouldn't patients, visitors and staff enjoy a pleasant working environment? NHS trusts are accountable, even through PFI contracts. Why does everybody automatically assume that money has been wasted as opposed to wisely spent?

Public buildings should look good, go to London St Pancras and admire, then look across the road at Camden council and despair. Why should we put up soviet style buildings, it'll be the 70's all over again.